Last year on August 25, 2021, the author published an article on the Korea Stamp Society’s (KSS) webpage about Dr. Sherwood Hall’s woodblock print cards from 1934-1940, that were sold/given along with the Christmas/New Year’s and Tuberculosis (TB) seals. Since that time the author has been fortunate to find a complete set of the 7 woodblock prints cards, even with the original hard paper envelope in which they were sold. The author does not have any information for what price they were sold or if they were given to large buyers of the woodprint cards. Now the KSS has the ability to show images of this complete set. In looking at them in person, they are even more brilliant than the colors that are seen from the scans. We can also show an example of one of the hard paper envelopes that came with the woodprint card.
The Korean Postage Stamp Catalogue (KPSC) gives these woodblock print cards the numbers YC3-9. The YC1-2 KPSC numbers were used for thin paper fold cards for 1934 and 1935. Stephen Hasegawa in his “Dr. Sherwood Hall’s Christmas and New Year Seal of Korea 1932-1940” catalogue gives these woodblock print cards the number WB1 –WB7 and the thin paper fold card for 1934 an 1935 the numbers FC1 and FC2.
The woodblock print cards for the year 1934 – 8 can sometimes be found for sale in auctions or by dealers. The KPSC gives the catalogue value of 500,000 won (US$390) each for these 5 cards. The woodblock print cards for the years 1939 and 1940 are very rare. There are only 5 known of the 1939 card (YC8), one of which is separated from the actual card. The KPSC gives the 1939 card the value of 4,000,000 won (US$3130). There are only two known cards for 1940, and the KPSC gives these the catalogue value of 5,000,000 won (US$3910).
Would be interesting to supplement the artists names:
– E. K. or Elisabeth Keith is easy; any relation to the Dr. Hall circle?;
– then we have a name written in hangul with the addtional read seal giving “Kim…”
– the last one consists of three chinese characters, definitely other than Kim.
So three artists at least.
Hi Florian, thanks for that comment. That was an oversight of mine not to mention the artists. Coincidently, I have found some information this week about Elizabeth Keith. I also know who the other artists are for these cards. I was planning on writing an article on Elizabeth Keith. I knew she was a relatively well-known artist back in the early 1900’s who did a lot of artwork on different Asian cultures. But I found out (because I now have one of the original prints of the 1940 design), that all her designs for the Korea Christmas seals were actually based on artwork that she did in the 1920’s. So when I write the article, I will mention the names of other artists. Best regards, Bob